Indian Writing in English 1794-2004 - Soka University Repository

More documents

Recommendations

Info

186 die for truth.'" It is widely believed that the Young Bengal group contributed directly to the intellectual awakening of Bengal in the nineteenth century and sparked the Bengal Renaissance through their subsequent writings.'"' Some have objected to the immaturity of the Young Bengal activists who in their enthusiasm accepted all western habits and summarily rejected all aspects of Bengali culture. The early nineteenth century underwent an intellectual awakening in response to the newly acquired European knowledge in philosophy, history, sciences and literature. This was felt most strongly in Bengal, which witnessed the formation of debating and discussion societies, publica- tion of newspapers and periodicals, religious reform movements, new stylistic experiments in literature, and rise of protest moments. The growth of a new socio-political consciousness affected life and beliefs both materially and intellectually. In the beginning it affected the bah- dralok of Hindu society and subsequently the Muslim Bengalis as it spread to other parts of the country. Apart from Rammohuyn Roy, Derozio and Vidyasagar, there were other renaissance thinkers such as Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905), Akshay Kumar Datta (1820-1886), Michael Madhusudan Dutt (1824-1873) and Bankim Chandra (1838-1894) who tried to trans- form the Indian ethos.'v"' The Bengal Renaissance had two significant goals: first to revive Indian culture and second to accept modern European learning, both these themes are represented in Derozio's life and poetry. His influence on subsequent English prose writers of Bengal was profound. Raja Rammohun Roy later introduced the glory of the classical Indian past and opened the way for the modernizing influence of Western knowledge and education. This was followed by Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar's (1820-1891) popularizing the secular aspects of ancient Indian learning. Both Derozio and Vidyasagar in their own unique ways gave significance to the human being. Derozio represented western modernity just as Vidyasagar symbolized ancient learning. Derozio's belief in the ability of human being to explore reality and improve himself makes him a nineteenth century Columbus who discovered the significance of man and heralded the Bengal Renaissance.1. If Rammohun Roy inaugurated a "spiritual humanism" then Vidyasagar and Derozio "introduced" a secular humanism in Bengal. The "critical traditionalism" of Derozio, Rammohun Roy and Sri Aurobindo Ackroyd Ghosh (1872-1910) initiated many reforms in Indian society.1' Derozio's poetic aesthetics was moral in nature. He believed that poetry should have a didactic function and help in individual development and social improvement. Poetry should not only refine and purify "the springs of life" but also become an "instrument" to elevate and improve man's "moral and intellectual nature," a duty that every poet must perform in society.'X` His passionate exuberance in some of his unpublished poems and in "Ode From the Persian of Hafiz"(March 1926) with references to wine and music should not be construed as a celebration of unbridled hedonistic passion but tempered with love and commitment: Say, what's the rose without the smile Of her I deem more fair, And what are all the sweets of spring If wine be wanting there?
The poems ends on a note of self negation: And what's my life? Perhaps a coin— A trifling coin at best— Unheeded e'en by passer-by Unfit for bridal guest!'" We should remember that in 1830 Indian-English poetry had no literary tradition and noth- ing of significance was written in verse. Some of Derozio's love poems could also be an expres- sion of his tender youth---he was only seventeen years old when he wrote Hafiz. But even in the early 1920s his poems reflect a surprisingly mature hold over his subject matter. It is possible to see the maturity of thought and feeling and poetic mastery in the "Prologue" to a play he wrote for the performing students of Dhurmatola Academy on 20th January 1824: As new fledged birds while yet Unused to soar, Tremble the airy regions to Explore Mistrust their pow'r, yet doubting Dare to fly, And brave the dazzling brilliance of the sky. The smooth flow of lines, the feelings of challenge and hesitation in the doubter's position, the clear image of fledgling birds exploring the uncharted skies of knowledge, from a 15-year old teenager without formal schooling in English are quite remarkable. Some of the mature poets who came after him would not have been able to tie their shoelaces not to mention about writing mature poetry of dazzling brilliance. His continued to love his students at Hindu College evident in the poems he wrote for them especially the "Sonnet to My Pupils" a few days before his death: Expanding like the petals of young flowers I watch the gentle opening of your minds, And the sweet loosening of the spell that binds Your intellectual energies and powers, That stretch (like young birds in soft summer hours) Their wings to try their strength. 0! how the winds Of circumstance, and freshening April showers Of early knowledge, and unnumbered kinds Of new perceptions, shed their influence, And how you worship Truth's omnipotence! What joyance rains upon me, when I see Fame in the mirror of futurity, Weaving the chaplets you are yet to gain— 187
Page 1 and 2: Beyond the Colonial Legacy: Indian
Page 3 and 4: tized national language Hindi has y
Page 5 and 6: The bilingual Indian middlemen also
Page 7 and 8: mid-eighteenth century into the nin
Page 9 and 10: Imagining the Swaraj and Literature
Page 11: College Calcutta (founded in 1817 a
Page 15 and 16: O thus should thy bright image dear
Page 17 and 18: Canning (1856-1862) endorsed the Br
Page 19 and 20: Theory) and Salman Rushdie (Mirrorw
Page 21 and 22: ing. xxxiii K Satchidanandan believ
Page 23 and 24: establish the Society for the Acqui

Indian Writing in English 1794-2004 - Soka University Repository

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?